Adventures in Ancestry

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Monthly Archives: June 2011

Ok, so I’m not actually going to write “an ode” cause I don’t do poetry; but I want to express my love and gratitude for this place which gives me a place to nerd up when the weather and/or my car isn’t eager for me to travel very far.

Now, I’m not talking about the Central Library. I love that library for a completely different reason. In fact, sometimes I wish I lived in that library. Everyone who lives or visits Indianapolis should go up to the 6th floor and just enjoy the view facing south towards the Circle.

Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. Amazing library. Go there now if you haven't been yet.

On the exterior, Indiana State Library seems like the frumpy sister of the Central library but there are amazing resources there.

Today is a great example of reasons I love the State Library. This is what happened, in order.

1.) I parked out front on the street. There is almost always street parking out front. And the tops of the meters were removed! There were no “no parking” signs. So that means Free Parking! And it was! I did not get a ticket.

2.) I went inside and had no problem finding an open easy place to sit. The library is generally known for being a haven for homeless people. I don’t generally have a problem with this, but it can be an issue with space. Downstairs the only usable computers are hooked up to genealogy research sites and THAT is the only reason they are used. This is not the biggest hit with the homeless population of the city.

3.) I had been researching a branch of my family, the Staudts (or Stoudts…or even Stouts) and found a book on the internet that would be so very helpful. It didn’t even occur to me until I got there today that the State Library might actually have this very random family history called “Stoudts and Allied Families”. And they did! And I used it. And it was so very helpful. For those interested, I found out that my Staudt family came from Germany, a little village called Wolfersweiler. Sounds awesome, I know.

4.) It sounded as if there was a scuffle in the entry way about mid-way through my research there, and I had no worries. There are capable security guards at the library whenever they’re open.

5.) I asked the librarian a question. Now, this seems like a silly reason to like a library, but I’m kind of shy about asking strangers questions because I hate sounding stupid. But honestly, everyone who goes to this library is so geeked out on genealogy it makes me feel more comfortable.

6.) As I was leaving I noticed a flier with information about presentations they’ll be doing over the course of the next month. What is really amazing is that it’s free!

In addition to what happened today, other things that get me all excited about the State Library include:

The insane collection of newspapers from pretty much every county in the state, and even some nearby states. I use these regularly, especially for obituaries and marriage announcements.

I’ve been pretty sick, kids. It’s been a nasty month ’round these parts. Tissues….everywhere. I’m here to tell you though, that I am back. And I will be blogging regularly again.

Moving on…

For those who are genealogy buffs out there, do you feel like a vacation/trip is wasted if you don’t have a genealogy stop somewhere along the way? Even just a little cemetery where you wanted to grab a picture… I really shouldn’t feel this way, but I kind of do. Andrew and I have been trying to plan a little summer trip which is drive-able and not insanely expensive. We also wanted to go somewhere new. It’s been awhile since we’ve gone to Michigan, and neither of us have ever been to the Upper Peninsula (the UP).

Painted Rocks, Upper Peninsula, Michigan - Where we will hopefully be spending a few days this summer.

As soon as Andrew mentioned it I thought, “Yeah! The Painted Rocks! That would be super cool.” Then I immediately began trying to figure out if anyone on the tree is from Michigan. Not really. But what about the rest of the route… Wisconsin? Nope. Not there either. Chicagoland area? Not so much. I got a little mopey and unexcited about it. Does this happen to anyone else? I am committed to making this trip happen this summer, and I am going to get over it (or move the driving route to cover the Wabash area of Indiana).

Onto other news…

We are able to plan a small trip (versus our move into the poor house) because I finally got a teaching job! Woot! I will be teaching High School social studies (most likely History). So I will actually be adding to the household income. As of now, my income has been paying my student loans, and little more.

The summer is getting away from me though. I start Orientation on August 2, which means that I have a short window if I want to get any ancestry trips before school starts. And then I have to fit in the other lovely parts of summer: parties, cocktails on the patio, dinner with friends, walks in the park, and grilling.